I may have come around to the idea of ebooks, due to getting an iPad. So when Lars Pearson of Mad Norwegian Press floated the idea of republishing my steampunk novel, Warring States, as an e-book, I agreed.

In fact, I agreed so much that I sent him some additional material to go in it. This includes:

eight pages of notes on where ideas came from, historical snippets, and some of the pop culture gags

a two page explanation of the jade casket and the paradox, which was written during the pitching process

a preview originally published in the back of Lance Parkin’s Warlords of Utopia

a short story originally published in the Mythmakers fanzine and set after the novel

I’d lost my original file of the last of those, and just had a scan from Philip Pursar-Hallard. The story is set in Phil’s City of the Saved. Lars has typed it back up so it can appear as an extra. It shows its age, as the Sherlock Holmes that appears in it is a TV version from before Sherlock started.

One of the benefits of e-books is that you can have links, so the eight pages of notes are filled with links to more information. So they form a slight insight into the sheer squirrelly way I work, grabbing mountains of information and creating links.

Faction Paradox: Warring States is available from today. I hope you enjoy it.

Mad Norwegian are also publishing the latest volumes of the About Time series on Doctor Who today. These are some of the most in-depth works on Doctor Who it is possible to find, and are written by someone I used to go drinking with. Recommended for any Who fan.

This Timewatch on the Boxer War is a fairly good grounding, for anyone wanting a basic history. It contains a George Morrison who seems to owe a fair bit to Brendon Fraser in The Mummy but I can live with that. One of the talking heads, Diane Preston, wrote the book I used a lot for research on Warring States as she is very good at outlining the issues and actions taken.

At the chap’s at the weekend, I bemoaned Timewatch being on opposite Strictly Come Dancing with the comment “I’ve read books on that!”. To which the chap’s flatmate’s response was “You wrote a book on that”. It’s odd the extent to which, once a book is done, the historical topic becomes an interest divorced from that research process. I know I read this article and associated leader on the Internationales at the weekend – and the many articles over the last seven years about the reconciliation work going on in Spain – with fascination. I suspect the fiction set in those periods acts as a focus for my research, rather than a catalyst. The catalyst is just curiosity about something and a desire to learn more. I still have the Border Reivers on my research list, and have done for about six years, but there’s yet to be a focal point to trigger the active reading around them.

Warring States is now available from amazon.co.uk at the rather lovely price of nine English pounds and tuppence. Isn’t that lovely, reasonable and all those other fabulous words? And it’s eligible for free shipping if you can think of something for a tenner you also want to buy from Amazon. You could add an album by the Hives and a copy of Wide Sargasso Sea and have change from 25 quid. Or you could pre-order the new Franz Ferdinand album and wait a week or so for My Lovely Novel to be delivered to your very door! Or, if you’re like me, to your office desk because you won’t be in when the delivery guy calls.

American Amazonians can now get Warring States for twelve of your American dollars, plus a few dimes.

This is great news to me, after the con merchant was trying to flog it for more than thirty quid, as I can now happily point anyone who asks towards Amazon and there is the faint chance that, you know, they may actually not only buy but read a copy.

History 101 is now ‘available’ from Tesco which makes me feel slightly odd. It does say delivery takes 28 days, whereas play.com goes for 24 hours so play.com remains the best option.

Meanwhile I have been sending off press releases and putting up posters for the Warring States talk. The space at the bookshop is not huge – perhaps 12 people in chairs and any extra (ha!) in the overspill room – but that does mean if it’s just friends who show I won’t be staring at an empty room. I think I have about 20 minutes material (intro to boxer rebellion, intro to Faction Paradox, a couple of readings) which leaves me 5 minutes for the inevitable overrun, 5 to stare into the howling abyss which follows my “any questions?”, and half an hour to socialise, chat, look at the photography exhibition. At some point I’d better get my notes in order…

Some capitalist scumbag bastard is trying to sell Warring States on Amazon.co.uk for a staggeringly stupid UKP29.99. This is a TOTAL and UTTER con and I’ll be looking to find a way to stop it. Bear in mind the US price is USD15.95 (approx UKP10) so this piece of scum is trying to sell the book at three times its cover price. I don’t want my name connected to an exploitative little tosser like this seller. “Cake please”? I’ll give you cake and I’ll stuff it in your mouth till you choke.